


Who Wants To Be A Millionaire's Boyfriend

by Pineprin137



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, CEO Jensen Ackles, Communication, Dog Walker Jared Padalecki, Domestic, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Financial Issues, Jealousy, M/M, Making Up, Moving In Together, Relationship Problems, Rich Jensen Ackles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-06
Updated: 2020-11-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:27:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27411949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pineprin137/pseuds/Pineprin137
Summary: Jensen lives large. Jared likes things simple. Can they work out their differences before their paychecks tear them apart?
Relationships: Jensen Ackles/Jared Padalecki
Kudos: 252





	1. If You Want to Play Hard, You Have to Work Hard

Jared smirked at his boyfriend. Jensen was lying dramatically on the couch. “Okay, that’s the last of it-- I think.”

“You better hope so, babe. We’re running out of space...” 

“Pfft!” Jared snorted. He rolled his eyes. “Like you don’t have more room upstairs?” 

_ “...Or on the third floor?”  _ he added under his breath. 

Jensen peeled one eye open. “Is that  _ judgment  _ I hear in your voice?” 

Jared blushed and ducked his head. 

“No. I just-” He shrugged. “--It’s going to take a little time, you know? To get used to... all of  _ this _ .” He gestured helplessly at the wide expanse of Jensen’s living room. As if the size of it wasn’t intimidating enough, the CEO had had it professionally decorated. 

It was a far cry from Jared’s messy one-bedroom apartment.  _ Former apartment _ , Jared corrected himself. He lived here, now-- In his boyfriend’s McMansion. 

Jensen glanced around the room in confusion. Everything looked fine to him. 

Frowning, he shrugged at Jared.  “I don’t-- Is something wrong?” he asked, bewildered. 

Jared flopped down beside him on the leather couch. 

“Jen, my entire apartment building could’ve fit in here…” he said, trying to help his boyfriend understand why the whole moving-into-a-CEO’s-sprawling-home was a bit much to swallow all at once. 

“Right…” 

Jensen was lost. Obviously, something had upset Jared, but he couldn’t for the life of him figure out what. It couldn’t be the house itself, surely. 

Over the last few months, Jared had spent most of his free time at Jensen’s. 

“And, you know, the chefs and butlers and shit-” Jared continued, “--It’s a lot, Jen.” 

The CEO wrapped his arm around his boyfriend and pulled him close. He leaned down to kiss the crown of Jared’s head. 

“Don’t let Jim hear you call him that,” he chuckled, trying to lighten the mood since he couldn’t suss out why Jared was upset. “He'll blow a gasket.” 

When Jared only sighed in return, Jensen frowned. He shifted so he could look Jared in the eye. 

“Jared, we talked about this-- You didn’t think you could squeeze me and my stuff into your tiny apartment, and what about Cali? I wasn’t going to leave her...” Jensen glanced over at the Bengal cat lying curled up on the other couch. Calisthenia was his baby. 

Jensen had fallen in love with Cali the moment he saw her, and while she had no qualms about him and Jared moving in together, there was no way her toys, supplies, and large exercise wheel would’ve fit in Jared’s apartment. 

Jared huffed, “I know that. All I’m saying is that you’re used to all of this, and I’m not.” He tossed his hands up in the air, exasperated. “I mean, c’ mon, Jen! You live like a fuckin’ millionaire!” 

Jensen squinted at him, confused and slightly offended. “Honey, I  _ am _ a millionaire… How exactly am I  _ supposed _ to live?”

Sure, there was a slight- okay,  _ extremely large _ \- difference between his seven-figure salary and Jared’s part-time dog-walker paycheck, but Jensen had worked hard to get to where he was. 

Besides, the house, Cali, the treasures bought on his many travels... This was his home. 

Completely missing Jensen’s point, Jared gave a slow nod before scoffing,“‘Course.  _ It’s always about money with you… _ ” 

Ignoring the bewildered look on his boyfriend’s face, Jared wrestled himself off of the couch so he could march over to one of his boxes and angrily look through it. He grumbled to himself as he pulled out the books neatly packed inside.  _ “I hate talking about money with you. It always becomes a competition…”  _

Jared was still too busy mumbling and scowling, so he missed Jensen flinching. 

The good mood that had existed ever since Jared said yes to moving in with him vanished suddenly, and Jensen’s frown became a scowl. As he stood, he lashed out, feeling hurt. 

“If that’s what you think… I guess you don’t know me as well as you think you did.” 

Feeling exhausted and slightly heartsick, the CEO took the long way around the couch so he wouldn’t have to pass by Jared. 

“I’m gonna go up to the office. I suppose you should let Jim know if you need any help-- Since you obviously don’t want my company any longer.” He walked out of the room and up the stairs with Cali by his side.

Left alone in the giant room and wishing he could just control-alt-delete the last ten minutes, Jared kicked one of the boxes and cursed. 

“Dammit!” 


	2. Making Up Is More Fun Than Breaking Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's all about compromise. But can Jensen forgive Jared?

Jensen sat down heavily on the small couch in his office with a glass of scotch in one hand, the other stroking Cali’s soft fur. 

It was no secret that he had money. 

Jensen liked living an opulent lifestyle with the occasional flashy car and a beautiful house, but he thought Jared understood that that stuff was just...Well, it was just  _ stuff _ , pure and simple. 

Jensen didn’t buy it to show off his wealth, he bought it because he liked it and, after spending most of his adult life alone, he’d only had himself- and Cali- to spoil. 

Jensen hadn’t always been a success-- He'd started out as a college kid with a dream of owning one of the largest architecture firms in the country. It hadn't been until four years later, after a lot of hard work and dedication, not to mention missed birthdays and lonely nights, that he’d finally started up his small business at the tender age of twenty-six. 

However, his contentment had been temporary. 

By the time Jensen had turned thirty, he'd realized he wanted more than just a successful company… 

He wanted someone to share it with. 

When he met Jared during a chance encounter on the subway, the dog walker had been a welcome relief from the gold-diggers and twinks searching for a sugar daddy. 

Jared had never read Architectural Digest, so he’d only known Jensen as a cute guy on the subway who happened to be wearing a three-piece suit. 

He hadn’t had any idea Jensen was recognized as the proprietor of one of the most successful privately-owned firms in the United States. Or that he lived a comfortable life in the highest tax bracket available. The suit he'd been wearing that day? Dolce and Gabbana.

For a while, Jensen had just been a ‘normal guy’, nervously dating for the first time in ten years. He’d happily accompanied his new beau to dive bars and book signings, stayed over at Jared’s minuscule apartment, and utilized public transportation to get to their dates. 

But eventually, the fantasy had ended and reality had slapped Jensen in the face. 

Jared had started pushing to sleepover over at his place, begging to see where Jensen lived  _ and _ worked. And Jensen had thought things were going well, so he had. He’d slowly introduced Jared to his world-- unable to resist showing off all the bells and whistles he was super proud of. 

Of course, when the adorable dog-walker saw the size of Jensen’s house and the skyrise where he worked as CEO on the top floor, he’d had a lot of questions. 

The worst part, by far, had been the night Jared accused him of lying. 

_ “You’re a fucking CEO?! What the hell, Jensen? Why wouldn’t you tell me? And this place! Jesus, it’s amazing… Why have we been sleeping at my crappy apartment when we could have been rolling around on Egyptian Cotton?!”  _

Jensen hadn’t seen it as lying, though. He’d just wanted to be seen for who he was, not defined and  _ judged _ for his status or how much he made in a year. He’d thought that Jared would understand that. 

But pretty soon, it had become all about the money. 

Jared had started comparing their paychecks and complained about Jensen getting the bill every time they went out. He joked about the price of things in Jensen’s home more than the quality and even commented on how Jensen couldn’t even have a normal pet. 

_ “How much did she cost, anyway? I mean, I get that you couldn’t just have a tabby cat running around this fortress, but the way you spoil her… We get it, Jensen. You’re rich. We’re all peons.” _

Jensen hadn’t stood for that. He’d accused Jared of caring more about his money than him. 

Seemingly aware that she’d been the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back, Cali had hidden underneath Jensen’s California King while he and Jared yelled at each other. 

Fed up with Jared’s pouting and childish behavior, Jensen had ended up throwing him out-- telling Jared to either get over his jealous envy of Jensen’s success or get a new boyfriend. 

Jared had shown up three days later, sobbing on his doorstep. He’d been so apologetic, telling Jensen that the money didn’t matter... That he would work on the jealousy thing. 

And Jensen had been so in love, he’d believed him. 

That had been two months ago. And since then, things had been going great. Jared no longer brought up the price tags, and Jensen was once again treated like a regular boyfriend, instead of a princely CEO. 

It had seemed like Jared finally understood that Jensen may own three of the rarest cars on the market, but it wasn’t because of their exorbitant price tags; it’s because he loves cars almost as much as he enjoys the structural components of a fifty-story building. 

Whether he lived in a three-floor, eight-thousand-and-twenty square-foot home or the dorm he had in college, Jensen was still the same Texas boy who’d spent his teenage years sleeping in whenever he could, hanging with his friends, and watching the local football games on cable.

The only difference is now, he slept on much nicer sheets and had a TV that would make any sports fan cry. 

It had taken a lot of courage for Jensen to bring up moving in, but Jared had been overjoyed… until Jensen broached the topic of  _ where  _ they should live. 

He knew Jared loved his little apartment. The dog walker loved that it was close to downtown, where he did most of his business. It was cozy and smelled like the Chinese place two doors down. 

But the logistics of Jensen and Jared living there together had been laughable. Besides the fact that Jensen’s office was bigger than Jared’s entire apartment, they would’ve been trying to fit two guys, who stood well over six feet tall,  _ and _ a still-growing Bengal cat into a one-bedroom apartment the size of a sardine can. 

Plus, there was Jensen’s… problem. 

When he and Jared had started arguing more than kissing during their date nights, he’d had to finally come clean about his claustrophobia. 

_ “Jared, your place is cute, okay? And I know you love it, but-” Jensen closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “--But I can’t live there with you.”  _

_ Jared smiled, “Jen, I told you-- we’ll figure out the Cali thing, and really, it might be nice being in such close quarters all the time…”  _

_ Jensen’s face fell. He had to tell him. _

_ “Jared... Apart from it being way too small for both of us, I-- uh, well, it sort of freaks me out… ”  _

_ Jared’s smile had vanished as offense sparked in his eyes. “What do you mean it ‘freaks you out’?  _

_ Jensen raised his eyes to meet Jared’s. He reached out for Jared’s hands, cradling them in his lap.  _ _ “When I was five, I went ice skating with my brother. It was wintertime, so the pond near our house froze over. After about half an hour of goofing around, I fell… hard.  _

_ “I h-heard the ice crack and then… “ Jensen could practically feel the phantom touch of the icy water.  _

_ When he shuddered, Jared wrapped his arm around him.  _

_ “It was so dark, Jared… And cold-- it was so cold… “ Jensen shook his head. “I couldn’t find the spot where I fell through, and I could barely swim because of how cold the water was... Josh got me out, and I was rushed to the hospital to combat hyperthermia, but… Jared, I was trapped under the ice for almost two minutes, slowly freezing to death. It was the most terrifying thing that’s ever happened to me...”  _

_ After a moment, Jared spoke quietly, “That’s why you always take the stairs…And why you panicked when that kid at the haunted house tried to get you to take a picture in the coffin…”  _

_ Jensen nodded with unshed tears in his eyes. “I can’t live in your apartment,” he said, looking up at Jared, “because it makes me feel claustrophobic.”  _

  
  


Once Jensen revealed that little tidbit to his boyfriend, Jared immediately understood why the CEO designed his house with so many open spaces. 

It was the same reason Jensen hated using the elevators at work. Sure, he  _ could  _ take the stairs, but twenty-floors was a lot, even for him. 

  
  
  


A knock on the office’s open door had Jensen opening his eyes. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been sitting there, but a glance down revealed a half-empty glass of scotch and a purring body sprawled on his lap. 

Turning to the door, he addressed Jared. “Yeah?” 

“Can I come in?” Jared asked timidly before poking his head through the doorway. 

“Yeah,” Jensen said after a few moments. He wasn’t up to arguing, but he was tired of being alone. He and Jared spent an incredible amount of time together, and it was hard to be away from him. 

He didn’t move Cali, instead, letting her serve as a physical barrier between him and Jared so his boyfriend would know he wasn’t totally forgiven yet. 

It had hurt like hell to have his success tossed in his face by the man he loved. 

Jared took a seat on the coffee table in front of him. “Jen, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said what I did.” 

His hair flopped in his face when he spoke, and Jensen fought the urge to tuck it behind his ears. Instead, he stayed still, letting Jared get out what he wanted to say. 

“I said that I wouldn’t hold your wealth against you and then, that’s exactly what I did...” He looked up at Jensen. “It’s hard, sometimes, being with you and knowing that while you’re this successful businessman, I’m just a dog walker…” 

“Jared--” 

“I’m not saying I don’t love my job-- I do. It’s just that sometimes I feel this pressure to keep up with you. 

I mean, Jen-- They write articles about you and people ask for your advice, but me... Half the time, my clients don’t even act like I exist. Mrs. Porter still calls me Jacob, and I’ve been walking Rocky for almost four years.” 

He looked so dejected, so down on himself, that Jensen couldn’t stand it. 

Quickly swallowing down the rest of his drink, he placed the sleeping feline onto the cushion beside him and hauled Jared onto his lap. 

He used his thumb to lift Jared’s chin up. “What’s my favorite food?” he asked. 

Jared frowned in confusion. “...uh, chili fries.” 

“How about my favorite movie?” 

A small smirk teased his boyfriend’s lips. “My Fair Lady-- But you tell everyone it’s Die Hard.”

“And how about my greatest fear?” 

Jared didn’t miss a beat. “Getting stuck in an elevator in an abandoned building during the zombie apocalypse.” 

Jensen nodded before ducking his head to kiss Jared’s neck. “My favorite color?” he mumbled. 

“ _ Hmmm...That feels nice… _ . Gray. But not dark-- Like light gray.” 

_ “Mhmm,” _ Jensen hummed, gently pulling Jared’s shirt up to mouth over one of his nipples. “And who do I love?” 

Jared squirmed, trying to find a little friction when Jensen’s ministrations made him hard in his jeans. 

“Me.” 

Jensen leaned back, though he kept his hands on Jared’s waist. 

“Jared, honey, I’m just a guy. Okay? Regardless of how much I’m worth, I still love sappy black and white movies and pig out on chili fries in my sweats. It doesn’t change who I am. 

“And as for the house, I know it’s going to take a little while for you to adjust. I don’t have a problem with that. But, Jared, this isn’t  _ my _ house anymore. It’s  _ ours _ . I want you to be comfortable here. I want to see tangled dog leashes and toys and your clothes on the floor and dirty dishes in the sink. I want  _ you _ \--  _ all  _ of you. 

“But it has to be a two-way street, Jared. You need to accept me for who I am-- wealth and all. If you can’t do that-- if that’s too much-- I need you to tell me now.” 

Jared tugged on his bottom lip, sending a jolt to Jensen’s cock. He kept his gaze on Jared, though. He needed to hear his answer. 

“I love you…” Jared started. 

Jensen’s heart skipped a beat.  _ No...please… _

“...But?” he said, his voice husky with barely suppressed emotion. 

“...but you’re right. I need to accept you  _ and  _ your uh, wealth, and I’m not sure I can yet. It’s a huge adjustment to go from ordering in drive-thrus to reserved seating in four-star restaurants. You have this thing about always getting the check and uh, I don’t know-” Jared shoved a hand through his hair. “--It kind of pisses me off.”

Jensen frowned. “You don’t want me to pay for dinner?” 

Jared shook his head. “It’s not that. It’s-- They always give it to you. They never even give me a second look before they hand the bill to you.” 

“Oh...” 

“Yeah, and whenever we go somewhere, they talk to  _ you _ . They look at  _ you _ . They ask  _ you _ . I kind of feel...invisible...You know?” 

“Jared, honey, why didn’t you tell me?” 

Jared shrugged. “I didn’t want to seem like a narcissistic dick?” 

Jensen smiled at him. “You’re not a narcissistic dick, Jared. You’re human.” He ran his hands up and down Jared’s arms. “Nobody likes being ignored. It makes perfect sense why you would feel that way.

“And, while I can’t promise that servers and others won’t recognize me while we’re out, I  _ can _ assure you that you are  _ never _ invisible to me.” 

“Flatterer…” Jared said, snorting. 

But Jensen gently gripped his chin and met Jared’s eyes. “Jared, when they look at me, they see a CEO in a nice suit with a fat wallet. But you-- _You see_ _me_.” 

Jared brushed his hand over Jensen’s cheek. “Yeah…” 

“The good, the bad, and the downright horrifying,” Jensen said softly. 

Jared snorted. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t be able to handle you in all of your bedhead and morning breath glory...” 

“Like you’re one to talk! You could clear a room if you walked in post-workout, pre-shower.”

“I thought you liked it when I’m all sweaty?” Jared teased, rolling his hips. 

Jensen turned so he could lay Jared down on the couch. “Maybe I need a reminder…” 


End file.
